From the Conference of Directors/Chief Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIOs) of the Federation, has come an allegation that the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) is responsible for issuance of fake driver’s licence to motorists, a situation it blamed for the rising cases of road accidents across the country.

Deputy National Chairman of the conference, Alhaji Garba Abdu Gaya, who spoke to newsmen in his office in Kano yesterday, said the current tripartite arrangement in the issuance of driver’s licence be reviewed with a view to reducing the rate of accidents on the roads. According to him, the current procedure provides that an applicant for driver’s licence should pay at a state board of internal revenue, the VIOs are to train the potential driver while FRSC is to issue the licence.

“But, unfortunately, you will find out that some bad elements within the FRSC are issuing fake licence at the expense of safer roads. Before any licence is considered authentic, there must be signature of a VIO appended on it. “But to our dismay, you will find out that some licences are carrying fake VIO signatures.

There was a case of one VIO who died since February 2006, but we came across some licences issued in 2013 with the signature of our departed colleague. This is too outrageous,” Gaya said. He declared that more than 50 percent of the licences motorists are parading in the country are fake.

“We are doing our search for the fake licences’ originating points, with the help of police. So far, we have a lot of cases reported to police on this disheartening issue of fake licence. Officials of the FRSC are allegedly deeply involved in the issuance of such fake licences.”

Gaya alleged that many of those who have been issued licence could not even drive well because they were not trained. “They don’t know road signs, to begin with. Should peoples lives be put in jeopardy?” Gaya asked rhetorically.

The deputy national chairman of VIOs called on the Federal Government to take road safety officials off the roads within metropolitan areas. “They come under Exclusive Legislative List, Item 63, which affects Trunk A Route only, that is federal highways. So, they don’t have any business working on metropolitan roads,” Gaya argued.

“State governments should be up and doing in making sure that any applicant for driver’s licence is first trained by VIO before any other thing takes place.”

In its reaction, the FRSC described the allegation as nothing more than shifting blame to wrong quarters. The Public Enlightenment Officer of the Kano Sector Command of the FRSC, Kabiru Daura, claimed that licences were not issued without following some laid down procedures. He said the work is not tripartite.

“You can go to any licence office, you will find out that there are officials from our office, VIO office and the state board of internal revenue. Before any licence is issued, it is the duty of the VIO to certify to the board of internal revenue that an applicant has been certified to have a driver’s licence. It is after that the board will write to us, authorising us to issue a licence,” Daura explained.